He Was a Friend
by Seeker of the Charter
Summary: The time has come for Orochimaru to take Sasuke's body. But what will happen when something goes wrong and Sasuke becomes mentally five again? Chaos insues!
1. Prologue

**This is the product of a fanfic challenge set up by my friend Original Dark Angel and me. There was a list of 10 conditions that had to be put into the story. They are as follows:**

Sasuke must be physically or mentally five years old

Five year old Sasuke becomes attached to Naruto

Post-Sharingan

Sakura babysits with disasterous consequences

Someone other than Sasuke develops the avenger complex

Five year old Sasuke saves someone by accident

Sasuke and Kakashi prank Naruto's ramen

Sasuke gets Kakashi's books and some one must take it from him and explain why he can't be reading it.

Ino slaps Sasuke for some reason

Someone must say "I see dead people."

**We gave ourselves about a month and a half to complete these, and this is the result. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…or any of the characters…though one of my personalities is under the distinct impression that she does…but that's another story…**

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Prologue

"The time has come," Orochimaru said eagerly as he eyed the 15-year-old boy before him. "Sasuke-kun. The time has come to give me your body, as promised."

Sasuke Uchiha turned to stare into Orochimaru's cold, snake-like eyes. "The deal," He replied in a voice that would have chilled any normal person to the bone. "I do believe, was that you wouldn't even think of touching my body until I saw to Itachi's death."

Orochimaru smirked and licked his lips with his unnaturally long tongue. "How foolish you are, Sasuke-kun," He chuckled in amusement. "That you have not yet realized that you can't defeat your brother without my power."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he glared at his 'master.' "If I cannot defeat Itachi with my own power than I am nothing; I have lived my life for nothing. You _will not _have my body until that day."

Sasuke glared at Orochimaru for several moments more before turning and walking out the door. Orochimaru's eyes twitched. From that glare he was able to infer Sasuke's thoughts. The boy thought he was weak and would be of no use. Orochimaru smirked at this; he was more than ready to prove Sasuke wrong. "Kabuto," He called, summoning his second-in-command out of the shadows. "You know what to do."

The silver-haired boy nodded and crept out the door after Sasuke, Orochimaru's current dream container. He followed him for some time, inching closer and closer until he was finally near enough to attack. Gathering chakra in his hand he lunged forward to smack Sasuke in the middle of the back. Sasuke's body immediately went limp, the chakra blast from Kabuto's hand sending him into unconsciousness.

Sasuke's body crumpled and began to fall sideways onto the ground. Kabuto caught him before he hit, not wanting Orochimaru's future body to be damaged. Then, without warning, Sasuke's limp body turned into a log in Kabuto's arms. "Kuso!" Kabuto spat. "A substitution jutsu!"

"Surprised?" Sasuke's far-from-amused voice called from a tree branch above Kabuto's head. Kabuto smirked and Sasuke felt something sharp poke him in the lower back.

"No," Kabuto whispered in Sasuke's ear. The Kabuto on the path disappeared into a cloud of smoke and Sasuke cursed himself for being so careless. He winced as Kabuto's kunai knife jabbed harder into his back. "Now you have two choices: Go back peacefully or go back unconscious. I think it would be better for both of us if you chose the former, but that's entirely up to you."

"I'm not going back." Sasuke growled. He took a step forward, leaping off the tree branch and onto the ground, Kabuto's kunai cutting a gash through his shirt and flesh from his lower back to right below his shoulder blade. He hissed in pain but managed to land on his solidly on his feet.

Kabuto leapt gracefully out of the tree and landed before Sasuke. With one deft move Sasuke jumped into the air and began to somersault over Kabuto's head. The medical ninja had anticipated this and thrust one of his chakra-shrouded hands upwards and into the dark-haired boy's chest. Sasuke coughed and blood spewed out of his mouth. He crumpled in mid-air and fell into Kabuto's grasp once again. This time he was undeniably unconscious.

Kabuto hefted Sasuke onto his shoulder, sheathed his kunai knife, and carried the boy back to Orochimaru's hidden lair. Before he would present him to his master again, he had to heal the boy's wounds. For Kabuto, a trained medical ninja, it would take mere moments.

When Kabuto finally brought Sasuke before Orochimaru, Sasuke was still unconscious. Orochimaru raised a curious eyebrow at his second-in-command but didn't bother to ask what had happened. He really didn't care. "Put him on the table." Orochimaru ordered. "And strap him down; I don't want him getting away again."

Kabuto did as he was told. Sasuke didn't awaken until Kabuto was tightening the last of the restraints around him. "I swear if I ever get out of here, I'll kill you! I'll kill you both!" Sasuke hissed as he struggled against the leather straps that held him in place. "I won't let you stop me from defeating my brother with my own power!"

Orochimaru chuckled and smeared blood from his right hand down his left arm. He motioned Kabuto forward. The silver-haired boy pricked one of Sasuke's fingers and then wiped the blood down Orochimaru's right arm. With an evil grin Orochimaru stalked to the head of the table and placed his hands on Sasuke's forehead, right over left. Kabuto followed his master, making hand-signs as he went, finally stopping as he made the final one.

His hands descended towards Orochimaru's on Sasuke's forehead. Sasuke's eyes grew wide, knowing that nothing could be done now. In the few seconds before Kabuto's hands met Orochimaru's, Sasuke's head was spinning. He saw his entire life flash before him: Kunai practice with Itachi, spraining his ankle and needing his older brother to carry him home, returning home after school one day to find his clan murdered and discovering that Itachi was the one who'd done it, his years at the academy that followed, the day that he'd been placed on a team with Sakura and Naruto, their first big mission to the Land of Waves, awakening the sharingan within him, the chuunin exams, meeting Itachi again after all those years only to be defeated, the Sound Four, his epic battle with Naruto, and finally, his decision to join Orochimaru. From there everything was irrelevant. He realized that now, when it was far too late to turn back. He had been a fool and he probably deserved what he was about to get.

Kabuto's hands finally touched their mark and a strange mix of chakra began to fill Sasuke's body. Spots danced before his eyes and he knew this was it. No longer would he be Uchiha Sasuke. He began to slip into unconsciousness. As his world slowly closed in around him Sasuke summoned the last of his strength and screamed at the top of his lungs. "Uchiha Itachi!"

Then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Uchiha Sasuke lapsed into unconsciousness and Orochimaru's body slumped over the table, beginning to slide towards the floor. Kabuto—now finished with his master's jutsu—caught Orochimaru in his arms and laid his body on the table next to Sasuke's. He immediately unfastened the belts that held the boy's body in place and sat back to wait. His master—now in Sasuke's body—would soon wake up.

Finally after several long minutes, the boy's body began to stir. Kabuto jumped up and ran to the table and stared down as the boy's eyes fluttered open. "Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said with a slight bow. "How does your new body feel?"

"O-orochi-who?" Sasuke's voice asked, small and innocent. "Where am I? Where are Mom and Dad? Where is Itachi? And who are you? I don't think I know you. Did you kidnap me? My big brother Itachi is going to be very, very mad at you. He's in the ANBU you know. He can kick your butt."

Kabuto's eyes widened in shock—the jutsu hadn't worked. Sasuke was still Sasuke, though he seemed a little confused and more like a small child than the angry teenage boy he'd been only minutes before. "Kuso!" He shouted.

"You shouldn't say bad words." Sasuke said with a stern yet incredibly innocent look on his face. "It's not nice. Mom says it can hurt people's feelings."

Kabuto wasn't listening. He ran to the other side of the table and looked worriedly down at his master's body. "Orochimaru-sama! Orochimaru-sama!" He cried, shaking the man's shoulders.

Orochimaru's yellow, snake-like eyes shot open. "Yaro!" He growled. He swung one arm up and into Kabuto's midsection, sending the boy flying across the room and into the hard stone wall. His vision blurred and he blacked out. Orochimaru sat up quickly and circled the room, collecting a bag and filling it with various things he would need for a journey: food, water, a change of robes, and some kunai and shuriken. He didn't even seem to notice Sasuke.

Finally Orochimaru stormed out the door, grumbling under his breath. Kabuto regained consciousness just in time to catch the words, "I'm an avenger." coming from his master's lips. He jumped to his feet, regretting it as soon as his head began to spin, but ran out the door after his master none-the-less.

Sasuke watched from where he still sat on the medical table. "Grown-ups are crazy." He told himself. He shook his head and slid off the table. Then he giggled. "And stupid. They left the door wide open!"

He sprinted out into the bright sunlight and—despite having no clue where he needed to go to get home—took off into the woods. The undergrowth was thick and he got tangled in the briars several times. His arms and legs got scratched up and blood trickled slowly from the abrasions. By the time he stopped for the night, he was on the verge of crying. "Mom," He whimpered. "Mommy, where are you? I have lots a boo-boos for you to make better."

No one answered him. Finally he broke down into tears. "I want to go home." He sobbed before sleep finally took him.

Sasuke awoke before dawn the next morning to find three people standing over him. One of the three, a tall, stern looking woman with her blonde hair pulled back into four pony-tails, was tending to his scratched-up arms. The other two—both men, one with blood-red hair and the other with his hair hidden beneath a hat—watched over the woman's shoulders. "Who—who are you people?" Sasuke whimpered, scooting away from them in fear.

"You're kidding, right?" The blonde girl asked, a look of intense disbelief crossing her features.

"N-no." Sasuke stuttered.

The man with the hat slid some sort of mummy off his back and sat down beside the woman. "I think he's really forgotten, Temari." He laughed. "Orochimaru must have wiped his memory."

"With that freak Orochimaru," Temari answered. "I think that is highly possible, Kankuro."

Sasuke froze at the mention of Orochimaru. "That Orochi-man," He mumbled. "He kidnapped me. I just want to go home to my Mom and Dad."

The third boy who'd watched the entire scene impassively finally stepped forward to help his teammates. "I don't think he remembers anything that's happened to him over the last few years." He said in his monotone voice.

"What makes you say that, Gaara?" Kankuro asked, craning his neck to look back at the red-haired boy.

"First of all, he's talking about his family. We all know what happened to them, but it seems that he doesn't remember." Gaara responded nonchalantly. "Secondly, he doesn't remember me. I'd say that after our duel in the chuunin exams that it's kind of odd."

They all looked back to Sasuke who sat—now rather calmly—staring back at them. Gaara stepped forward and knelt beside Sasuke, staring into the supposedly fifteen-year-old boy's eyes in concern. "How old are you, Uchiha?"

Sasuke crossed his eyes and pursed his lips as if in deep thought. Then he began to count off on his fingers. After several moments of counting and recounting, a huge smile split his face and he proudly exclaimed. "I'm five!"

Kankuro rolled his eyes and whistled in disbelief. Temari stared at Sasuke in shock, not sure if she wanted to burst out laughing or scream, "What?!" and Gaara calmly turned to his siblings and said. "Well, this isn't good."

Kankuro pulled off his had with the sand village symbol on it and ran his hands nervously through his unruly brown hair. "So, what should we do with him?" He asked.

"We can't just leave him like this!" Temari whispered to her brothers.

Gaara thought for a few moments and turned back to Sasuke. "Come with us," He told the boy. "We'll take you home."

Sasuke's face brightened. "Really? Wow, you guys are so nice! I can't wait!" He jumped to his feet and stood waiting as the sand siblings gathered their things once again. Gaara immediately leapt into the nearest tree with a chakra-assisted jump. He was closely followed by Kankuro, which left Temari and Sasuke still on the ground.

"Whoa!" Sasuke marveled. "That was amazing! Do it again, do it again!"

"Sasuke," Temari said suddenly, placing a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "Do you know how to do that?"

Sasuke turned to glance at her, his eyes red with a ring of black. _So, his sharingan is still functional…_Temari mused. Sasuke thought for a few moments longer before finally nodding. "I think I can," He replied, furrowing his brow. "I don't think I've ever done it but somehow I think I know how to."

"He doesn't know that he has the sharingan?!" Temari whispered to herself in surprise. "Does that mean that it comes and goes on its own, without his control?"

Unaware of what was running through Temari's mind, Sasuke turned and leapt effortlessly into the tree with Gaara and Kankuro. "C'mon!" Sasuke called to Temari. "Hurry up! I wanna go home now!"

Temari leapt into the tree as well and gave her brother's a look that said, "Are you certain we can handle this?" Gaara nodded once and started for the next tree. Sasuke immediately followed him, eager to be on his way. Kankuro merely shrugged and followed his younger brother and Sasuke. Temari shook her head. This was going to be an interesting trip.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

It had been three days since the sand siblings took the mentally-5 Uchiha Sasuke under their wing. When they finally reached Konoha by the end of the third day Kankuro was ready to brutally murder someone with his puppets, Gaara was desperately wishing to have the Shukaku back despite the awful things it had done to him, and Temari wanted to blow Sasuke to pieces with her fan but couldn't because apparently she reminded Sasuke of his mother and he clung to her like glue. She couldn't reach her fan if she'd needed to.

As they neared the village outskirts at sundown Gaara broke off from the others. "I'm going to find Uzumaki Naruto and we can let him deal with the boy." He told them. Then he disappeared into the village, leaving his siblings to deal with Sasuke.

"I hate you," Kankuro growled under his breath as his younger brother leapt away. Temari reached out her only free hand—too busy keeping track of Sasuke with the other—and tugged on Kankuro's sleeve.

"Be nice, Kankuro. We don't want to say anything to upset…" She nodded her head towards Sasuke. "He's clingy enough as it is. He'll be worse if you make him cry."

Sasuke sniffled and snuggled closer to Temari. "Listen to your big sister, Uncle Kankuro." Sasuke whimpered. "Be nice to Uncle Gaara."

Temari flinched as Sasuke shifted closer—like a frightened little child—and glared at her brother as he started to laugh at her. Kankuro continued to snicker. "Shut up…" She mouthed so that Sasuke couldn't hear.

It wasn't until several minutes later that Gaara returned, Naruto trailing close behind him. "Sasuke-kun?" He cried upon seeing the Uchiha boy. "Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke flinched at the sight of an orange-clad ninja sprinting towards him, shouting out his name, and hid behind Temari. "Mum," He whimpered. "Who is that man? And how does he know me?"

The sand nin's nose and eyebrows twitched. She couldn't take it anymore. "I…AM…NOT…YOUR….MOTHER!" She shouted, sending Sasuke leaping away from her in shock. Noticing his terrified face and his large, almost tearful eyes, she continued in a softer voice. "And please, don't cling to me like that. You may be a five-year-old in your head but you definitely don't look like one."

Sasuke continued to pout but nodded his head as if he understood. "Why—why is he here?" He whimpered, pointing to Naruto. "What does he want with me?"

"What's with him?" Naruto asked bluntly before anyone could answer Sasuke. "He's not acting like…well…Sasuke."

"Something must have happened to him while he was with Orochimaru." Gaara explained. He motioned to Sasuke. "He's mentally five."

"Nani?!" Naruto cried, his eyes widening as far as they could go. He grasped the sides of his head in disbelief and tried desperately to keep from falling over in shock. "Why? How? When did this happen?!"

"We're not sure." Gaara calmly continued. "We found him in the woods like this, but unfortunately, we have other business to attend to and we have to leave him with you."

Naruto, to the surprise of everyone present, nodded calmly. "I'll take him to Kakashi-sensei. He'll know what to do." He told them. He stepped forward and knelt before the mentally-five-year-old boy that had once been his companion and held out his hand. He smiled a shockingly gentle smile and motioned for Sasuke to come to him. "It'll be ok, Sasuke-chan, I'm going to help you make everything right again."

Sasuke stepped forward hesitantly and stared at Naruto with his unusually large and innocent eyes black eyes. He glanced between the sand siblings and this orange-clad ninja for several minutes before finally taking the last few steps to Naruto's side. "You can help me find home?" He asked.

Naruto nodded solemnly. "You have my word as a ninja."

Sasuke's worried expression melted into the biggest, most innocent smile that any of them had ever seen on his face. "Let's go then! Let's go!" He took off at a sprint towards Konoha, Naruto quickly taking off after him shouting for the Uchiha boy to slow down.

"Well," Kankuro sighed. "I'm glad that's over."

His siblings merely nodded in agreement and they turned away to go about their business. "I only hope that Konoha is ready for this." Temari added with a snicker. "I pity the poor baka that he attaches himself to next."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Naruto-kun?" Sasuke's unusually small and innocent voice called as he trailed Naruto through the streets of Konoha. "Where are we going? This isn't the way to my house. I want to see my mom and dad."

"Um, we'll go there soon." Naruto told him, not ready to reveal to the mentally-five boy that his entire clan was dead. "I have to go see my sensei first. He'll want to...um…meet you."

Sasuke nodded and became silent. He didn't speak again until Naruto stopped short in the middle of the street without warning. Sasuke stumbled into Naruto's back and they both tumbled to the ground. Someone laughed from the tree branches above them. Sasuke shuddered and curled into a ball on the ground, unsure of what to expect. "N-Naruto-kun…what's going on?"

Naruto sat up and dusted himself. He saw Sasuke huddled on the ground beside him, trembling in fear, and couldn't help but laugh himself. "Sasuke-chan, get up. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Sasuke immediately stopped his shaking and peered up past Naruto and into the trees. The man who'd been laughing at them stood on one of the low branches with a bright orange book clasped in one hand. He still snickered slightly. As Sasuke watched he leapt out of the tree and landed on his feet in front of them. "W-who are you?!" Sasuke cried. He eyed the man in suspicion.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto laughed before anyone could answer. He stood to greet the man. "I've been looking all over for you. Sasuke's back, you see, but—."

"He's not himself…" Kakashi mused as he looked Sasuke over and pulled the boy to his feet. "I'd say that Orochimaru's jutsu backfired and, well, Sasuke is now mentally a child again."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in shock. "Five, actually." He clarified, rather perturbed that Kakashi had figured that out all on his own. Kakashi circled Sasuke and motioned for Naruto to continue. Naruto recounted the story that he'd heard from the sand siblings and then asked, "So, what do we do with him?"

"Look after him, of course. You will be the first to keep an eye on him…consider it training." Kakashi responded. Naruto cringed. Kakashi clapped him on the shoulder and added. "You might want to start now—there he goes."

"Nani?!" Naruto cried. He whirled around and saw Sasuke's back disappearing down the street. He was headed towards the Uchiha clan's compound. "Kuso!"

Kakashi laughed and Naruto took off at a sprint down the street screaming at the top of his lungs for the Uchiha boy to stop. Sasuke, of course, didn't listen. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him which, considering he was still physically a fifteen-year-old, was faster than Naruto would have liked. The chase continued until Sasuke reached the gates of the Uchiha compound and skidded to a halt.

The gates were boarded up. Sasuke stared at them in disbelief for a few moments, allowing Naruto time to catch up. The raven-haired boy was running his hand over the splintery wood that kept him from his house when Naruto finally stopped beside him. "What happened?" Sasuke questioned. His voice was small: somewhere in between sadness and disbelief. "Why are the gates closed?"

For a moment Naruto was unsure of how to answer. He didn't want to remind his friend that the entire Uchiha clan save him was killed off by Itachi, but he didn't want to lie either. With a slight cringe of guilt, Naruto placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "It's been like this for a while, Sasuke-chan. I don't expect you to remember what happened—you were…younger then." It wasn't exactly a lie. Sasuke's family _had _been murdered while he was still a child. However, Sasuke now thought he was five. Telling him the truth would not only confuse, but devastate him.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked again. Apparently he'd not been satisfied with Naruto's answer. He crossed his arms across his chest and stood before the gate with a pout on his face. Naruto cringed again. There wasn't going to be an easy way out of this.

"Come on then," Naruto sighed. With a burst of chakra in his hands, he ripped one of the boards away from the door. A few pieces of shattered wood later, Sasuke and Naruto were able to crawl through a small opening and into a section of Konoha that no living soul had visited in years. Naruto shivered as an unexplainable chill ran up his spine. The deserted Uchiha compound was an eerie place.

Sasuke smiled at Naruto once both of them were inside. Then without warning he took off again, running steadily towards his house. Once again Naruto chased after him, trying desperately to ignore the broken-down buildings and the years-old bloodstains that no one had bothered to clean. He shivered again and ran faster. Finally he was running so fast that he nearly bowled Sasuke over when the boy stopped in front of him. Digging his heels into the dry dirt of the pathway, he managed to stop just in time.

"It's real quiet." Sasuke commented as he took a hesitant step towards the house that Naruto could only guess must have been his childhood home. The Uchiha boy's hand hesitated on the handle. Naruto swallowed hard, but could only stare as Sasuke finally brought himself to slide the door open. Both boys stepped through the threshold simultaneously and the ghostly stillness of the house made their breath catch in their throats.

Sasuke recovered first. He slipped off his shoes in the doorway and stepped into the darkness of the hallway. Naruto followed him cautiously. They walked down the hallway towards the living room and kitchen, their footsteps echoing off the aged walls. Sasuke quickly searched these rooms and all of the others on the first floor. He hesitated at the foot of the stairs. "I'm scared, Naruto-kun." He whimpered. His eyes were large with fear. "It's never been this quiet. Where is everyone? Where are Mom and Dad? And Itachi, too, where's he?"

"I-I don't know where they are," Naruto lied, unable to bring himself to tell the boy the truth. "I haven't seen them around here for a while. M-maybe they're all out looking for you."

Sasuke's face brightened and he hurried back to the entryway to put his shoes on. "Let's go find them then!" He exclaimed. "If we go find them and let them know I'm ok then everything will be back to normal!"

Sasuke—his shoes now on his feet—ran out of the house and waited impatiently for Naruto to follow. Putting his shoes on at a slower pace than Sasuke had, Naruto stepped out of the house and shut the door behind him. He placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "I think it would make more sense if we stayed here in Konoha and waited." He told his friend. "It would make more sense. What if we went out to look for them and they came back while we were gone? They would be even more worried. If we wait here we can go to them as soon as they come back, ok?"

"Ok!" Sasuke replied cheerily. "But I want to stay with you!"

Naruto tried to smile, feeling bad that he'd planted a false hope in Sasuke's mind. "Alright, you can stay with me." He said finally. Letting Sasuke stay with him was the least he could do for getting the boy's hopes up. "Come on, let's go back to my place and we can have some ramen."

"I like ramen." Sasuke informed Naruto. He walked in front of the blonde ninja as they made their way to the gates. He began to walk circles around his 'new' friend out of sheer boredom and in the process listed some other foods he was fond of. "And Yakitori and Okonomiyaki and Miso, but my favorite is—."

Sasuke stopped short in both his words and his walking. Naruto noticed his wide-eyed, frightened expression, but couldn't seem to find what had caused this reaction. "What's the matter, Sasuke-chan?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shot backwards with a gasp and stumbled into Naruto. He seemed not to hear the question at all. "Do you see them? Look! Look!" He cried. Naruto followed his gaze but saw nothing. He looked at Sasuke in confusion. The boy cried out again. "No! Don't come any closer! No!"

Naruto caught him as he staggered backwards again and almost fell. Sasuke was shaking and still staring down the empty street. Naruto shook him. Sasuke jumped in surprise when he felt Naruto's hands on his shoulder, but his shaking stopped. He blinked several times. "Where did they go?" He asked, his voice still sounding shaken.

"Where did who go?" Naruto questioned. This was very confusing. "I didn't see anyone. What did you see, Sasuke-chan?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto, his eyes still wide and tremulous. "I-I saw dead people." He stammered. "Like ghosts! They were coming towards me, but they called me Itachi. They wanted to hurt my Itachi!"

Naruto was speechless. _Could Sasuke have seen the ghosts of his clan,_ He wondered, _haunting the streets of the Uchiha compound waiting for Itachi to return? _ Sasuke stared at Naruto for a few seconds longer before letting out a very un-Sasuke-like sob and burying his face in the shoulder of Naruto's jacket. This shocked the orange-clad ninja even more. Hesitantly he put an arm around Sasuke and patted his back, trying to get over the awkward feeling that he was hugging, well, Sasuke. "It's ok, they're gone now, right?" He comforted. He gently pried Sasuke off his shoulder and led him out of the compound as quickly as possible. "Now, how about that ramen?"


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was a miracle that Naruto survived the night. Taking care of a mentally five-year-old Sasuke was more taxing than he would have ever thought. The Uchiha boy didn't sleep a wink and therefore, neither did Naruto. Whether it was out of fear from what he'd seen earlier that day or just sheer boredom, Naruto couldn't tell.

Sasuke sat still long enough to eat Ramen and then it all went downhill from there. Next he wanted to play 'Ninjas and Pirates'. He forced Naruto to be the pirate of course and even went as far as proclaiming himself the greatest ninja of all time. He tore apart Naruto's dresser to find costumes and before even five minutes had passed the room was a mess.

Naruto was even more thrilled when Sasuke asked for a bedtime story. He recounted the best children's story he could remember, tucked Sasuke into bed, and then sprinted down the hall to his own room to get away. He'd been in bed for barely three minutes when he heard footsteps inching down the hall. Seconds later Sasuke flew into the room with a chakra assisted jump and landed on the end of the bed hard enough to send Naruto flying through the air. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!" He cried.

He snatched one of Naruto's pillows and began pelting the blonde boy with it. Naruto's eyebrows twitched in annoyance. "Why you little..!" He shouted as he jumped to his feet.

Sasuke dropped the pillow and took off down the hall shouting, "Catch me if you can!"

Naruto chased the boy for hours, their game of pursuit eventually spilling into the darkened streets of Konoha. By morning Naruto was exhausted, but at least he had succeeded in capturing Sasuke. Without a second thought, he dragged him to Kakashi's doorstep.

It wasn't even 7:00 yet when he rang the doorbell. Kakashi's drowsy face appeared in the doorway after a few minutes. "What took you so long?" Naruto grumbled. "I rang the stupid bell nearly 4 minutes ago!"

"Gomen," Kakashi mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eye. "I got tangled in my blankets when I fell out of bed. I was stuck for a few minutes."

"Sure, sure, whatever." Naruto growled. He shoved Sasuke forward. "It's your turn. I'm going to get some sleep and then I'm going to train. Goodbye."

With that, Naruto left. A stunned Kakashi and a pouting Sasuke were left standing in the doorway to Kakashi's house. "What's gotten into him?" Kakashi thought aloud. He scratched his head, shrugged, and then led Sasuke into the house. "Are you hungry, Sasuke-chan?"

Sasuke shook his head and continued to pout. Kakashi could tell that he still wanted to play with Naruto. "Don't get too upset over Naruto," He told Sasuke. "Let him have some time to himself and you can play with him tomorrow. How would you like it if I found you a new playmate for today?"

"I want Naruto-kun." Sasuke grumbled. He crossed his arms and sat on the floor. He refused to look at Kakashi. "I don't want a new playmate."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "But she's one of Naruto's best friends, you see. I'm sure she could take you to see Naruto." He pulled Sasuke to his feet. "How does that sound?"

"Ok, fine." Sasuke pouted. "But only if I get to see Naruto-kun."

Kakashi nodded, promising that indeed, he would get to see Naruto. Then he led Sasuke to the living room and let him play with Pakkun while he made the boy something for breakfast. Sasuke tickled the ninja-dog's belly for a few moments and decided to toss a pillow across the room for him to fetch. Pakkun seemed to enjoy this so Sasuke kept it up. Playing with dogs was fun!

Sasuke was preparing to toss the now-drool-covered pillow across the room one more time when something bright and orange caught his eye. The object seemed to be a book, the same book that Kakashi had been reading the day before when he'd startled Naruto and Sasuke. Soon Sasuke began to wonder what made that book so interesting that a grown-up would carry it around with him all day. He wanted to find out.

With a smirk he tossed the pillow across the room for Pakkun, and while the dog was occupied, stuffed the little book into his pocket. He did so just in time. He'd barely concealed the bulge in his pants pocket under his shirt when Kakashi returned with a bowl of steaming white rice topped with peaches.

Sasuke ate the dish quickly and commanded that Kakashi take him to his new playmate, now! Kakashi tried not to laugh, but hearing Sasuke complain like the five-year-old that he mentally was proved too much for him. He let out a snicker and quickly concealed it with a cough. "Well, come on then," He said. He motioned to Pakkun that he wanted him to stay with them and keep an extra eye on the boy. "I'm sure Sakura will be happy to see you."

More than happy probably. Kakashi hadn't yet explained to the girl that Sasuke was back or that he was mentally five. This would certainly be an interesting reunion. Kakashi snickered again.

Soon they arrived at Sakura's house. When they knocked on the door her mother answered. "Oh, Sakura?" She called up the stairs as soon as she saw who it was. "Your sensei and a friend are her to visit you!"

Sakura's footsteps were heard running down the stairs and seconds later the pink-haired kunoichi was skidding to a halt in the doorway. Her eyes instantly fell on Sasuke. Before any of them could blink she cried out his name and tackled him to the ground in a huge hug. Kakashi chuckled and lifted her off the now petrified Uchiha. "Easy does it there, Sakura-chan." He warned. "Sasuke is…not himself."

Sakura finally took a moment to look Sasuke over. He still lay on the ground, shaking violently in fear. "S-Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked shakily. "A-are you all right?"

"Who are you?" Sasuke cried, inching backwards. "Who are you and why did you attack me?"

"Sasuke? You don't remember me?" Sakura was crushed. Kakashi saw a tear sparkling in the corner of her eye and placed a hand on her shoulder. He gave it a gentle squeeze and then went to pull Sasuke to his feet. He held the boy by the collar of his shirt and ushered the rest of the group inside.

Sakura's mother hurried into the kitchen and began to make tea. Sakura immediately collapsed on the couch. Kakashi took a seat opposite her and forced Sasuke to sit beside him. "Sakura-chan," He began. "There was a bit of a problem when Orochimaru tried to take Sasuke's body from him. You see—."

"Oh, no!" Sakura shrieked. "Sasuke, oh, Sasuke, what did they do to you?"

She almost started forward again, but Kakashi stopped her. "Easy does it, let me explain." He laughed. "Apparently Orochimaru's jutsu backfired. We're not sure what happened to him and Kabuto, but Sasuke…well, Sasuke is now five again—mentally anyhow."

"He's what?!" Sakura cried. She looked at Sasuke again, hoping to find something in his eyes to prove Kakashi wrong. All she found was two large and frightened black eyes staring back at her. His eyes had never looked so innocent. Sakura collapsed back into the couch pillows. "Oh, Sasuke, no!"

"Now Sakura, I know you'll need time to absorb all of this," Kakashi continued. "But I have a favor to ask of you."

"A favor?" Sakura asked, unsure if she wanted to know. "What kind of favor?"

"I'm afraid I have to ask you to watch him for a little while. Naruto watched him yesterday, and the entire night. He hasn't slept at all yet so there's the possibility that he won't be awake too much longer. Besides, Naruto will come over later to help you out."

"I-I can do that." Sakura mumbled. Pakkun jumped into her lap to make it known that he would stay to help and earned a soft pat on the head. "It won't be a problem."

Kakashi nodded and stood to leave. "Oh, by the way, he's already had his breakfast, so you don't need to worry about that." Sakura bobbed her head in acknowledgement and turned to Sasuke when Kakashi walked out the door. The black-haired boy still cowered on the couch in absolute fear of her.

"Hello, Sasuke." She cooed, going to crouch before him. "I'm sorry that I scared you before. Is there anything I can get you to make up for it? Some ice cream perhaps? Would you like that?"

Sasuke nodded and then asked in a frightened voice. "Can I have a cookie too?"

Sakura smiled brightly and rushed into the kitchen. Pakkun followed her halfway and sat in the door to the living room to keep an eye on Sasuke. Sasuke finally straightened in his seat and looked around the room. His eyes fell on a small bookshelf in the corner and he was suddenly reminded of what resided in his pocket. He pulled the small, orange volume into his hands. Without a single bit of hesitation he opened to the first page and began to read.

_It was a clear day. The sun shone brightly and not a cloud littered the flawless blue sky. Toyomori Aiko, basked in the beauty of the day. She lay sunbathing in a field of crimson flowers, the scent of them clinging to her skin like perfume. She began to drift off to sleep when a voice carried to her on the wind, calling out her name. _

"_Aiko," it called. "Aiko, my love! Are you there?"_

_Aiko sat abruptly. The voice sounded so familiar. It reminded her of the voice of her one true love, Ito Souta, but she knew he'd been dead for years. She sighed and lay back in the sun once again, dismissing the voice as a phantom; a mere memory conjured by her unconscious mind. _

"_Aiko!" The voice called again. It was closer this time._

_Aiko could ignore it no longer. She—_

"Where did you get that, Sasuke-chan?" Pakkun asked as he leapt onto the couch beside Sasuke.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sasuke slammed the book shut and shoved it behind his back. "Where did I get what, Pakkun-chan?" Sasuke asked innocently. "I don't have anything."

Pakkun stuck his nose behind Sasuke's back and tried to get the book. Sasuke knew that he would get in trouble if Pakkun took the book back to Kakashi so he snatched it up and ran out of the room, or at least he tried. He was halfway into a sprint as he approached the doorway to the kitchen and Sakura, coming towards the living room with a bowl of ice cream and cookies, wasn't going half as fast. Sasuke didn't see her until it was too late and ran straight into her.

The bowl of ice cream went airborne and landed on the floor several feet away. Sasuke and Sakura tumbled to a heap on the floor and Pakkun hurried over to snatch the book from a temporarily stunned Sasuke's hand. "No! Pakkun-chan, don't!" Sasuke cried. He climbed up off the floor, shoving Sakura off him, and took off after the small dog. Sakura sat in shock for several moments before it registered that the little dog needed her help.

"Sahra! Sahra! Elp ne!" Pakkun tried to say around the book in his mouth. "Ach, Sahra!"

Sakura couldn't decipher what the dog was trying to say but quickly figured it out as the dog jumped into the air and chucked the book at her. She caught it, dog slobber and all, and immediately hurried for the door. She barely made it 7 feet when something tackled her to the ground. She twisted around and found Sasuke clinging to her waist. "Give me my book back Sakura-chan. I want my book back." He whimpered, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

Sakura finally took a moment to look at the book's cover and shrieked loud enough to wake the dead. This was most definitely not Sasuke's book. It was "Come, Come Paradise: Vol. 1", one of Kakashi's favorites and certainly not something that a five-year-old should have, ever. "Pakkun! Pakkun! Hurry!" She tossed the book to the dog and then grabbed a hold of Sasuke. "Take it back to Kakashi-sensei, quick! I've got Sasuke!"

Sasuke tried to climb to his feet and go after the dog, but Sakura held his wrist tightly. With an annoyed glance at the pink-haired girl beneath him, he jerked his hand away. "Let go!" He cried. He started to run away from her.

Sakura smirked and reached out to grab his foot. "Oh, no you don't." She laughed. Sasuke tumbled face first onto the ground and to ensure that he wouldn't get away from her again, Sakura sat on his back until Pakkun was long gone. Sasuke finally gave up struggling when he realized the same thing and sat on the floor pouting.

"Sakura-chan," Said Sakura's mother as she walked into the room with a plate of fresh cookies. "I don't think your sensei meant for you to take babysitting so…literally."

Sakura blushed and finally let Sasuke up. She bowed to her mother, who promptly left, and quickly led Sasuke to the couch and the cookies. The boy glared at her for a few moments, a large pout plastered on his face, before finally deciding that the cookies were a better use of his time. He ate one entire cookie and came to the conclusion that he was thirsty. "I want something to drink." He informed her. "I'm thirsty."

"Alright, I'll go get you something." She told him sweetly. She couldn't stand it when he was mad at her, whether he was mentally five or not. "Now you be a good boy and stay here, ok?"

Sasuke nodded and reached for another cookie. As soon as Sakura left the room however, he escaped out the front door. He made it barely a block down the street when Sakura burst out of the house behind him. "Sasuke!" She screamed. "Uchiha Sasuke, get your butt back here this instant!"

Sasuke took off at a sprint in the opposite direction. Sakura chased him from street to street, never tiring, and Sasuke knew he had to get away from her somehow. He hurried around a corner and leapt onto the roof of the first building she saw. Sakura ran past as he watched and he slumped against the house's second story window in relief. Unfortunately the window was open and instead of leaning on the glass, he fell into a room.

The thud he made as he landed alerted the room's only occupant to his presence. He was just beginning to crawl to his feet, whimpering at the pain from the fall, when a girl's high-pitched scream filled the air. Sasuke looked up just in time to see an angry blonde girl's hand connect with his face. "You pervert! Who are you and what are you doing spying on me?" The girl cried.

She raised her hand to strike him again when a woman's voice called from downstairs. "Is everything all right, Ino? What's going on?"

"Nothing I can't handle, Mom!" Ino called. "Now, where was I…?"

She turned back towards Sasuke, only to discover that he was gone. While she had been distracted with her mother's worried call, Sasuke had slipped back out the window and fled towards the forest. He knew that Sakura would still be out looking for him and he most certainly didn't want to be found. Remembering that Naruto said he was going to go train, Sasuke figured the forest would be the best place to start looking for him.

Using the trick that his Sharingan had picked up from the sand siblings, Sasuke leapt into the trees. He found Naruto in a clearing several hundred feet just inside the tree-line, practicing a summon jutsu of some sort. The blonde boy would place his hand on the ground, smoke would explode upwards, and when the smoke cleared a frog would be in that place. As Sasuke watched, Naruto summoned several different sized frogs and then sent them away again before summoning some more.

Sasuke was highly amused. He was completely prepared to rush out into the clearing to have Naruto teach him that jutsu when a familiar pink-haired kunoichi's voice split the air. "NARUTO!" Sakura screamed. "Naruto! Sasuke ran off on me!"

"Nani?!" Naruto cried, the last of his frogs disappearing in a puff of smoke. "You lost him?"

"This is all you're fault, baka!" Sakura yelled, entirely ready to beat Naruto to a pulp. "If you would have come by to help me watch him like Kakashi-sensei said you were going to, I wouldn't have lost him!"

Sasuke cringed. This pink-haired monster was really going to hurt Naruto. He needed to do something. Trying to formulate a plan in his head he stood and balanced on the tree branch. One of his feet slipped and before he could catch himself, he fell over 10 feet to the hard ground below. Sakura and Naruto heard him fall. Sakura immediately dropped Naruto and ran to the bushes where Sasuke had landed. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and followed.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sasuke had been knocked unconscious but seemed to have suffered no injuries. He awoke with a moan to find Sakura leaning over him, her hand glowing a light blue. Apparently she'd used some sort of medical jutsu to wake him up. "Oh, Sasuke-chan, are you alright?" She asked frantically.

Sasuke moaned and nodded as he sat up. "I'm ok. I just didn't want you to hurt Naruto-kun." He smiled over at Naruto who stood on his other side. "He didn't do anything and you were being mean and trying to hurt him!"

Sakura glanced worriedly at Naruto and then back to Sasuke. "It's all right now. I won't hurt him. I promise."

"Thanks, kid," Naruto said, patting Sasuke's shoulder. "You may well have just saved my life!"

Sasuke smiled widely and Sakura glared over at Naruto. He could tell that she wasn't through with him. For the moment however, she was more worried about Sasuke than anything else. She helped the boy to his feet and together she and Naruto helped him to Naruto's house. "I'm tired," He said with a yawn when they got there.

Sakura and Naruto showed him to the bed and tucked him in. It would have been a strange sight for anyone who didn't know the situation; two full-fledged ninja tucking their teammate—who was the same age as them—into bed. Naruto handed Sasuke a teddy bear and Sakura kissed Sasuke's forehead. "Sleep well, Sasuke-chan." She whispered before leaving the room. Naruto followed quickly after her, not wanting Sasuke to change his mind and ask to play.

"It's about time he went to sleep." Naruto groaned. "That's the first time I've seen him sleep since he got here yesterday!"

"You're kidding, right?" Sakura asked in shock.

"Not at all." Naruto informed her. "But now that he's asleep, I'm making myself some Ramen and then going to sleep myself."

Sakura shook her head. "You're crazy." She stated. She walked to the door and stepped outside. "I'm beat. I'm going to go home and sleep as well. Bring him by to see me tomorrow, ok?"

Naruto nodded but was already too preoccupied with making Ramen to care. "Bye Sakura!" He called. He looked at his watch. The three minute wait had just begun.

When Naruto awoke the next morning he promptly checked in on Sasuke. The Uchiha boy was still asleep. Naruto grinned and decided that he'd have time to go to the Ichiraku Ramen shop for some breakfast before he began another tiresome day. He didn't think to call anyone to watch Sasuke while he was gone, just in case.

Shortly after he left, Sasuke awoke. "Naruto-kun?" He called. "Naruto-kun, I'm hungry!"

Sasuke searched the entire house, but found no Naruto. In a panic, he ran out onto the street screaming Naruto's name frantically. He didn't get far when Kakashi found him and asked what was wrong. Sasuke promptly informed him that Naruto was gone and he was worried that Sakura might have killed him even though she'd promised not to. Kakashi assured him that Naruto was undoubtedly fine and offered to help the boy find him.

As they walked along Sasuke found a frog. "I should give this to Naruto-kun!" He exclaimed. "He spent a lot of time yesterday trying to make one so maybe he won't have to work so hard now!"

Kakashi chuckled and decided not to tell the boy that Naruto's summonings were completely different from the usual frog. That would ruin his fun. "Yes, you do that." Kakashi laughed. Then he pointed to a shop up ahead labeled, 'Ichiraku Ramen.' "Look, we're almost there!"

"There he is, Kakashi-sensei!" Sasuke whispered giddily to the jounin beside him. He pointed wildly at Naruto as the boy ordered his third bowl of noodles. "Are you ready? Can you distract him for me, sensei?"

Kakashi nodded to his now-mentally-five student and stepped into the ramen shop. "Ohayo Gozaimasu, Naruto-kun." He called as he took a seat beside the orange clad boy. Sasuke followed closely on his heels and sat down on the opposite side of Naruto, waving at his teammate excitedly.

Naruto looked at the two of them in turn, finally settling his eyes on Kakashi. "What do you want? Can't you see that I'm eating?" He asked in annoyance. "And don't tell me that I need to eat more vegetables again…or that I need to watch him."

"No, no, not at all. Not a vegetable in sight" Kakashi laughed, raising his hands to show that he'd brought nothing even remotely close to a vegetable. Then he pointed to Sasuke. The Uchiha boy suddenly sat up straight and grinned innocently at Naruto. Kakashi laughed again. "But I'm afraid I did come to ask you to watch him. I have to leave the village for the day."

"Nani?!" Naruto cried. His face immediately melted into a pout and he crossed his arms in defiance. "Why can't Sakura do it again? I need to train and I can't have him around to distract me."

"Because, Naruto," Kakashi responded, suddenly becoming serious. "Sakura still isn't mentally prepared after what happened yesterday, what with the book and then Sasuke running off and all. She'll be by to help you later."

Naruto continued to pout and turned back to his ramen. He picked up his chopsticks and was just about to take a bite when he shrieked and fell backwards off his chair. Sasuke snickered, trying to hide the sound by placing his hands over his mouth. "You brat!" Naruto yelled as he jumped back to his feet to point an accusing finger at Sasuke. "You put that there, didn't you?!"

His finger whisked away from Sasuke, stopping on the bowl of ramen where a small frog was detangling itself from the noodles. Sasuke's eyes grew large and innocent and he smiled up at Naruto. "I knew you liked frogs," He said as he reached to pick up the creature, nudging the last of the noodles from its hind legs. "I watched you trying to summon them yesterday so I went and found you one to save you the trouble!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he continued to glare at Sasuke. "Baka," He grumbled. "I'm not trying to get _that_ sort of frog."

Sasuke's lower lip quivered slightly and he turned his gaze pleadingly to Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei," He whimpered. "Naruto-kun is being mean to me! I was only trying to help and he called me a baka!"

"Now, now, Sasuke." Kakashi soothed. "I'm sure he didn't mean it in a bad way. Naruto-kun doesn't always act the way he should. I'm sure if you ask him nicely he'll stop being mean."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched and Kakashi glared at him in a 'you'd better be nice to him or else' sort of way. Naruto finally sighed heavily. "You'd better buy me a bowl of Ramen after all this." He grumbled. He shuffled out of the Ramen shop, dragging Sasuke along with him. He'd forgotten to pay, so with a sigh, Kakashi covered for him. It was the least he could do.

Naruto shuffled down the street, Sasuke trailing behind him in complete boredom. "Where are we going, Naruto-kun. I'm really bored. Are you taking me to see that scary Sakura girl again? I'm hungry. Can we go back to your house and eat now? Oh, oh! How about we go do something fun like swimming. I want to go swimming now. Are you listening to me Naruto-kun? I said I wanted to—Naruto-kun?" He leapt in front of Naruto and crossed his arms. "You weren't even listening to me, were you?"

"Huh? Did you say something?" Naruto asked, breaking out of whatever dream world he'd been in. Sasuke glared at him for several moments and then turned on his heel and ran down the street. Naruto sighed. "Here we go again…Get back here you little twerp!"


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Naruto sprinted after Sasuke, once again wishing that the mentally-five boy also had a five-year-old's body and not his fifteen-year-old one. He was determined to catch him this time however, before anything bad happened. As he ran he conjured up several Kage Bunshin and sent them off in different directions. If he didn't catch Sasuke, one of them was bound to.

The chase continued for what seemed to Naruto like hours. Sasuke just wouldn't tire. One by one, his Kage Bunshin vanished as his body tired and soon only he remained. He'd chased Sasuke through the interior of Konoha now and they were quickly approaching the village outskirts near where the sand siblings had dropped Sasuke off a few days before. "What are you doing?!" Naruto cried. "Just where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to find someone who really wants to play with me!" Sasuke yelled back, not even slowing his pace. He hurried past the last of the buildings and burst through the tree-line into the forest. Naruto used a fraction of his remaining chakra to give him a burst of speed. He couldn't let Sasuke get away.

He was nearly upon Sasuke, when the boy screamed and skidded to a halt. Naruto stopped as well, wondering what had frightened him. Then he saw it. Orochimaru and Kabuto rested in the low branches of a nearby tree, glaring at their two 'visitors'. "Is that the boy?" Orochimaru asked with a subtle nod in Sasuke's direction. "Is that the boy that will make Itachi come to me?"

Kabuto nodded to his 'master' and leapt out of the tree. He landed before Sasuke without a sound and thrust his hand at the boy. The chakra blast that came with it shocked Sasuke's body into unconsciousness. Sasuke fell limply towards the ground, but again, Kabuto caught him before he made impact. He slung the boy over his shoulder and leapt back into the trees.

"Don't you dare take another step with him," Naruto screamed. He glared up at the two sound ninja who now held the unconscious Sasuke captive. "You leave him alone now, or I'll kill you!"

Kabuto rolled his eyes, and taking advantage of the fact that Orochimaru didn't think of himself as his master, motioned for the Sannin to deal with the yellow-haired nuisance. Orochimaru smirked evilly and licked his lips in anticipation. "I won't let you get in my way, boy!" He hissed. "I'm an avenger! I need this boy to lure Itachi to me. I will not let you stop me from killing my older brother!"

Naruto looked at Orochimaru in complete bewilderment. At least now he knew where Sasuke's fifteen-year-old mind was at. But this was not Sasuke, so he would have no regrets in beating the crap out of the man. He assumed a fighting stance and faced Orochimaru. "Let's go then!"

Orochimaru chuckled. "It's your death, boy!" His tongue shot out of his mouth and bound Naruto's arms to his sides, but not before Naruto conjured two Kage Bunshin. One went around Orochimaru on either side, and because the man's back was to the tree, he was as good as surrounded. Taking note of this, Orochimaru tightened the grip of his tongue around Naruto's body. He would crush the boy.

Naruto coughed as the tongue constricted, slowly cutting off his air supply. "Oh…no…you…don't!" He rasped out. He nodded to his Kage Bunshin and they promptly burst into action. They descended, one on either side, ready to punch the living daylights out of the sound ninja.

With a chuckle, Orochimaru easily dodged them and tightened his tongue one last time. Naruto screamed in anguish before his body burst into a cloud of smoke. From a nearby tree, his actual self laughed at Orochimaru's shocked expression as he slurped his tongue back into his mouth.

"Baka!" Naruto laughed. "Prepare to die!" He leapt to the ground, one of his Kage Bunshin disappearing as he did so. The remaining Kage Bunshin rushed to his side and together they began to create the Rasengan. Within moments a swirling mass of chakra was formed in Naruto's hand. His Kage Bunshin disappeared and he began his mad dash at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru's eyes widened and he tried to dodge, but Naruto's hand still grazed his side. A searing pain shot through him as his flesh tangled and ripped and he screamed loudly. Kabuto, finally realizing that his master needed some sort of assistance, draped Sasuke over a tree branch and leapt to the ground.

Orochimaru had already fallen to the forest floor, clutching at his side and gasping. Naruto was gasping as well, having exhausted all of his usual chakra. Before could call upon any of the Nine-tails' chakra, Kabuto was standing over him, his hands glowing blue. With a lightning-fast strike, Kabuto's hand flashed out and caught Naruto in the head, just above the forehead protector. Naruto immediately slipped into unconsciousness.

Knowing that he boy had an uncanny ability to heal quickly, he picked up Orochimaru under one of his arms and grabbed the still unconscious Sasuke with the other. Then he was gone, leaping away through the shadows of the forest, heading for the Village Hidden in the Sound.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The hideout was dark when he entered. No one had been there for several days. Slowly, Kabuto inched through the darkness. He didn't dare risk tripping over some scattered piece of equipment and dropping either Orochimaru or Sasuke. He couldn't afford to. He had to make everything right again if it was the last thing he did.

Finally he made his way to the medical tables that stood in the center of the room. He placed Orochimaru on one and Sasuke on the other, strapping them down in turn. Already tiring of the darkness, Kabuto stumbled across the darkened room and lit several candles. The soft light did little to dispel the stifling darkness that seemed to hang about the lair, but they did make it somewhat easier to see.

Kabuto returned to the center of the room. With a gentle shove, he rolled the tables together so that he could position his master's hand on the Uchiha boy's forehead. Contact was crucial in this jutsu. If the bodies weren't touching there would be no way to transfer the soul from one to the other.

With Orochimaru's hand securely on Sasuke's forehead, Kabuto was ready to begin the jutsu. He placed his hands, one over the other over Orochimaru's, just as he had the first time. Gathering chakra in his hands, he began to count down, thinking of what needed to be done.

_San…concentrate; the spirits must first be extracted. Ni…once the spirits are out they must be switched before they dissipate. Ichi…put Orochimaru-sama's soul in Sasuke-kun's body. Force the chakra into the body to seal the soul once its there. Sit back and wait…yes…wait for Orochimaru-sama to wake. That was it. San, Ni, Ichi...Mokka (now)!_

Chakra exploded in Kabuto's hands, so fiercely that it seemed to him that a mighty wind blew through the hideout. He held his hands fast on Sasuke's forehead, willing both Orochimaru and the boy's spirits to come free of their bodies. Something changed in the bodies and he knew that the spirits had obeyed his will. He concentrated harder, following the spirit trails with his chakra and latching on to them with invisible tendrils of power to keep them from escaping.

With all of his might, Kabuto began to drag Orochimaru's soul towards Sasuke's body. Something in his arms tore apart, a muscle or perhaps a blood vessel, and an unbearable pain threatened to break his concentration. He cried out in pain, but still willed the spirit closer to the body. The chakra at his hands glowed brighter now, the bluish tint becoming tainted with faint streaks of white and yellow.

Something was wrong. The jutsu was not working properly. Orochimaru would die if he didn't do something soon. He released even more chakra, attempting to pull the spirit into the body quicker.

Suddenly Sasuke's eyes shot open. Kabuto faltered. The boy's spirit should have been gone! Why was he awake?! Sasuke gasped for breath and stared at Kabuto and the ceiling above him with a blank, zombie-like stare. He blinked once, then again, and with one last breath let out a scream that vibrated the walls and floor around them.

Kabuto's concentration was lost completely. The chakra that held the spirits of his master and the Uchiha boy vanished and the spirits were free once more. The abrupt end to the jutsu caused an explosion of chakra and hot air. Kabuto was thrown across the room and into one of the medical tables. He was knocked unconscious the moment he hit. The impact knocked several lit candles rolling across the floor and tables. Papers and medical chemicals caught fire and smoke filled the room.

The tables that held Sasuke and Orochimaru's bodies were overturned. Neither of them woke. Whatever it was that had animated Sasuke's spiritless body was now gone and he was as still as death itself. Flames spread from across the lair and slowly consumed their bodies, along with Kabuto's that still lay slumped against the wall.

When daylight finally broke over the horizon all that remained was a pile of charred wood and scattered bone. There were no bodies to be found; no indication of the three lives that had burned out with the fire. The air reeked of smoke and desolation and death.

Death, yes, that was the ultimate punishment for all who attempted a forbidden jutsu. Perhaps, just at the end, Kabuto had realized this. Perhaps Sasuke's body never moved at all. Maybe the boy hadn't screamed that unearthly scream that shook the floor and Kabuto's very bones. It could have just been a hallucination, an omen of death resulting from all the foolish things Kabuto had done in his life.

But what did it matter. Death had consumed them all. They had spent years trying to cheat it…but no one can cheat death. It will always catch up.

And so on that day the souls of the forsaken shinobi rose from the ashes, ascending into the sky with the billows of black smoke that rode on the breeze.


	10. Epilogue

Epilogue

Smoke still billowed from the ruins. Naruto hurried in front of the rest of the group, frantically trying to find any sign of his missing friend. "Sasuke!" He called. "SASUKE!"

Kakashi and Sakura came up behind him, Pakkun trailing at their heels. The little dog sniffed at the air and shook his head solemnly. "I don't think they're here, Naruto." Kakashi told the boy when he saw Pakkun's gesture. He placed a comforting hand on both Naruto and Sakura's shoulders. "Come on, let's go search elsewhere."

Naruto and Sakura nodded sadly, each knowing somewhere deep in their hearts that they would probably never see their friend again. Sakura sniffled one or twice, trying her hardest not to cry. Naruto reached out and placed a comforting hand on her arm and she didn't even try to shove it off. She attempted to smile over at him, but failed miserably as she let out a sob.

Kakashi gave her shoulder a squeeze and sent Naruto on ahead with her and Pakkun. When they were far enough ahead, he turned back to the charred remains of Orochimaru's hideout. Out of the ashes rose a single stone pillar; all that remained of the original building. The pillar—unlike everything around it—remained free of any blemishes save in one spot. At the very top was a small patch of ash.

It was in the shape of the Uchiha clan symbol; the Uchiha fan.

_So,_ Kakashi thought, a sigh escaping his lips. _He's dead. They all are. _He turned away from the wreckage to follow his team. His heart was heavy with sorrow, but he knew that the boy's fate had been inescapable. He had delved in evil practices and the penalty for such was death. All shinobi knew this.

Kakashi sighed again to clear his mind. He would tell Naruto and Sakura eventually, but he knew they couldn't handle it yet. No, not yet. He smiled softly as memories flooded his head; memories from the day he'd met Uchiha Sasuke right up until the very moment that had just passed.

He would miss the boy. Despite all the wrong choices Sasuke had made, Kakashi still considered him an important student…no…more than that…an important friend.

Uchiha Sasuke had been a friend.


End file.
